Many homes, offices, motels and other businesses have been and are being constructed near areas producing high environmental noise such as highways, airports, railroads, and factories. Conversely, industrial-type noise is increasingly invading the home environment as airports and highways are expanded or upgraded to handle larger volumes of traffic.
Noise pollution problems or scenarios as noted above are conventionally approached by controlling the source of the noise. Industries are typically confined to certain geographical areas by zoning ordinances and land use regulations. Moreover, noise is managed by encouraging changes or improvements in the noise-creating technology itself. For example, emphasis has been placed on designing commercial aircraft with quieter engines, and with shorter takeoff and landing capabilities.
Although noise may be mitigated by legislative regulation of nuisance industries and managed from within the industries, an individual has little ability or power to eliminate sources of noise. The individual, even if aligned with a citizen's or homeowner's organization, may not have the resources or power to be as influential as an industry's lobby upon a legislative body, especially when the industry, such as an airport, is crucial to the lifeline of a metropolitan area.
However, even though one may possess little power to decrease environmental noise, he or she may attempt to mitigate the noise through changing his or her surroundings by, for instance, erecting physical barricades. Such an approach is desirable not only in light of an individual's political inability to effect environmental noise, but because noise is often in the ear of the beholder. One individual's perception of noise may be different from his or her neighbor's impression.
An object of the present invention is to provide a sound-absorbing and sound-insulating window.
A feature of the present invention is a double-pane window wherein each pane is of a different thickness. Since window panes of different thicknesses have different natural resonant frequencies, they absorb or dampen different wavelengths or frequencies of sound. A window with panes of different thicknesses blocks a greater number of wavelengths or frequencies of sound than a double-pane window having panes of equal thicknesses.
Another feature of the present invention is a double-pane window wherein each pane has a different density. A window pane of a particular density has a particular natural resonant frequency, and eliminates or dampens sounds within a certain range of wavelengths or frequencies, while another pane of another density will absorb or block sound within a different range of wavelengths or frequencies. Hence, by combining panes of difference densities, noise is eliminated over a greater range of wavelengths or frequencies.
Another feature of the present invention is a nonrigid double-pane window. The panes of such a window are formed from a low density acrylic in a coextrusion process to provide a less rigid or flexible transparent pane. The molecules of a flexible window pane are more easily excited by the motion of air molecules created by a noise. Accordingly, the window absorbs the noise as thermal energy instead of transmitting the noise therethrough as sound.
Another feature of the present invention is the provision in a sound barrier double-pane window of an elastomeric foam gasket disposed about the periphery of the double-pane window wherein the double-pane window may be installed into the frame defined by an existing conventional window and adjacent to the conventional window.
Another feature of the present invention is a set of cusps extending into pane-receiving recesses in the elastomeric foam gasket to provide a complete seal between the panes and the gasket.
An advantage of the present invention is that it absorbs, insulates, dampens, and eliminates sound over a greater range of wavelengths or frequencies than a conventional double-pane window.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it produces a quieter interior environment and hence contributes to a workplace or home which is sociologically more acceptable to a greater number of people.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it allows an industry that traditionally has been a nuisance to be located closer geographically to office buildings or residential areas and therefore increases the types of usages of land.
Another advantage is that it is inexpensive and simple to manufacture.
Another advantage of the invention is that, when mounted peripherally in an elastomeric foam gasket, it is attachable to an existing window frame without removing the existing conventional window.